Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.

One black man initially advised the laborers to get out of the deli, at first seemingly in sympathy but then in anger. In an interview after Quinones stepped in, he acknowledged being mad at immigrants taking away jobs. He softened after an hour's thought, realizing he was guilty of the same discrimination that he himself had experienced.

(..)

"Even though I knew it was all an act and the guy behind the counter was being paid to say these awful words, the words still stung," he said.

I think the real issue here is the fact that ABC set this up and are now trying to play this like its how Americans act towards immigrants. It is a blatant attempt to gain sympathy for illegal aliens. How do I come to that conclusion. Well, seeing as how legal immigrants are required to at least have a limited ability to speak English, it would be obvious that in a real situation like this the immigrant in question would most likely be illegal.

And Americans have every right to be upset about the problem of illegals invading this country. If a drunk man whose speech was badly slurred came into your business establishment and you couldn't understand him, would you not ask him to leave as well. This was nothing but an attempt to gain sympathy for the illegals living here in the US. That man has every right to be upset about all the jobs that Americans could be doing being taken by illegals.

If they wanted to do a real test of American tolerance, they should have let the man at least speak some broken English. But then, the experiment wouldn't have yielded the results they were looking for. Because most Americans, even when they have a right to be angry, will try their best to treat others decently. The man was only asked to leave when the language barrier was to much to handle. And those crocodile tears at the end really sealed the deal.

Americans are such meanies, always wanting their immigrants to adopt the language we use here in America.

I think the real issue here is the fact that ABC set this up and are now trying to play this like its how Americans act towards immigrants. It is a blatant attempt to gain sympathy for illegal aliens. How do I come to that conclusion. Well, seeing as how legal immigrants are required to at least have a limited ability to speak English, it would be obvious that in a real situation like this the immigrant in question would most likely be illegal.

And Americans have every right to be upset about the problem of illegals invading this country. If a drunk man whose speech was badly slurred came into your business establishment and you couldn't understand him, would you not ask him to leave as well. This was nothing but an attempt to gain sympathy for the illegals living here in the US. That man has every right to be upset about all the jobs that Americans could be doing being taken by illegals.

If they wanted to do a real test of American tolerance, they should have let the man at least speak some broken English. But then, the experiment wouldn't have yielded the results they were looking for. Because most Americans, even when they have a right to be angry, will try their best to treat others decently. The man was only asked to leave when the language barrier was to much to handle. And those crocodile tears at the end really sealed the deal.

Americans are such meanies, always wanting their immigrants to adopt the language we use here in America.

For the most part, I think the show was made just to get an audience, along with ratings and $$ by using a hot button issue.

But I think it can be seen as an experiment with social issues.

Also, I don't want to argue about this, but I'm just letting you know that the whole "not speaking English=illegal alien" thing isn't true.
Lots of people working here legally that can't speak English very good at all.
There's even legalized citizens that don't speak English. People that were invited here by the government to work, gained citizenship, and never had the need or pressure to learn English. They were just working in the fields with other Mexicans. Why'd they need to learn English? Well, that was the attitude back then, anyway.

Also, if you look at people who aren't Hispanic, there are plenty of Asian and European immigrants that are here legally and can't speak English, and prefer to speak in their mother tongue.
Like say, Chinese and Russians.

For the most part, I think the show was made just to get an audience, along with ratings and $$ by using a hot button issue.

But I think it can be seen as an experiment with social issues.

Also, I don't want to argue about this, but I'm just letting you know that the whole "not speaking English=illegal alien" thing isn't true.
Lots of people working here legally that can't speak English very good at all.
There's even legalized citizens that don't speak English. People that were invited here by the government to work, gained citizenship, and never had the need or pressure to learn English. They were just working in the fields with other Mexicans. Why'd they need to learn English? Well, that was the attitude back then, anyway.

Also, if you look at people who aren't Hispanic, there are plenty of Asian and European immigrants that are here legally and can't speak English, and prefer to speak in their mother tongue.
Like say, Chinese and Russians.

Yes, there is a very limited portion of our population that fall under those guidelines. There are worker visas which would allow immigrants to come here and work legally. But the fact remains that most immigrants you encounter that can't speak a bit of English are illegals. Please trust me a little here, I work in construction and I deal with these types everyday.

As far as the non-hispanics go, most of these people can speak English, they just choose not to. Our military men and women have always been very fond of Asian men and women, and marriage to a US soldier will automatically make you a US citizen. So a portion of those Asians who can't speak English probably got here in that way. But the fact remains that there is a course on limited English that is taken by people trying to go through the process of legally immigrating to the US. So while your statement is true, it certainly doesn't cover all the bases. And neither does mine.

Yes, there is a very limited portion of our population that fall under those guidelines. There are worker visas which would allow immigrants to come here and work legally. But the fact remains that most immigrants you encounter that can't speak a bit of English are illegals. Please trust me a little here, I work in construction and I deal with these types everyday.

As far as the non-hispanics go, most of these people can speak English, they just choose not to. Our military men and women have always been very fond of Asian men and women, and marriage to a US soldier will automatically make you a US citizen. So a portion of those Asians who can't speak English probably got here in that way. But the fact remains that there is a course on limited English that is taken by people trying to go through the process of legally immigrating to the US. So while your statement is true, it certainly doesn't cover all the bases. And neither does mine.

And to run with your ball further: it is very interesting that the American Mestizo/Eurasian children of said Asians tend to speak unaccented English by their teens.

And to run with your ball further: it is very interesting that the American Mestizo/Eurasian children of said Asians tend to speak unaccented English by their teens.

You've never come up with your proof that American Latino kids have an accent any different that the accent a California might have vs. a New Yorker.
Or something like the stereotypical Bronx Italian-American.
I have no doubt what you are referring to is the stereotypical barrio/cholo way of talking.

Can you please back this up? It's very insulting, and knowing far more Latino-Americans than you, I find it to be erroneous.

Yes, there is a very limited portion of our population that fall under those guidelines. There are worker visas which would allow immigrants to come here and work legally. But the fact remains that most immigrants you encounter that can't speak a bit of English are illegals. Please trust me a little here, I work in construction and I deal with these types everyday.You're speaking from the point of view of a construction worker, and I understand what you're perspective is like. The construction site is going to be a magnet for illegals looking for work.

I on the other hand am speaking from the perspective of a Latino from a Latino community that comes into contact with Latinos from all walks of life, including relatives. A more general view, if you will, rather than a specific view at a construction site. A Latino not speaking English encountered on the street, or at a store or restaurant, might be illegal, but might be legal too.

As far as the non-hispanics go, most of these people can speak English, they just choose not to. Our military men and women have always been very fond of Asian men and women, and marriage to a US soldier will automatically make you a US citizen. So a portion of those Asians who can't speak English probably got here in that way.I was speaking about Asian neighborhoods in the United States. San Francisco and Los Angeles' Chinatowns. Monterrey Park, CA, Little Saigon, Koreatown, etc.
Whole neighborhoods. Not just Asian wives of military men. Have you been to those places or the equivalents in your city or area?

But the fact remains that there is a course on limited English that is taken by people trying to go through the process of legally immigrating to the US. So while your statement is true, it certainly doesn't cover all the bases. And neither does mineAdmittedly, I don't know much about the immigration process, though I know many immigrants. I know many Mexican immigrants who speak English, but I also know many who don't..

My replies are in red.
Thanks for replying without being rude, or with the attitude that you are right and I am wrong.
I hope I managed to do the same. We're just both speaking from different perspectives.

You've never come up with your proof that American Latino kids have an accent any different that the accent a California might have vs. a New Yorker.
Or something like the stereotypical Bronx Italian-American.
I have no doubt what you are referring to is the stereotypical barrio/cholo way of talking.

Can you please back this up? It's very insulting, and knowing far more Latino-Americans than you, I find it to be erroneous.

The problem is that way too many American Latinos do speak in that cholo accent which reflects badly on all folks who look Mestizo-----whether Hispanic or not.

Yet: I have known many an American of generic Asian lineage who came here @ age 12 or younger and they almost without fail, speak standard English factoring in regional differences.

Why are the above Asians able to assimilate yet so damn many US born/raised Chicanos sound like they just came from Mexico?

It is as if the latter's culture mandates having a big red bullseye on them as as group with the caption kick me.

Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.